ZARA is a Four Letter Word

Ah, Zara. A company that stirred the pot with its 2019 logo redesign and continues to upset customers (read: me) with its new website UX. I’ve been split in half about these changes for the last few years. On one hand, I adore print publications and love the homage to high fashion magazine layouts. On the other hand, their logo reads like ‘ZABA’ and navigating their website is rage itself. I respect Zara for pursuing the 180 flip on their brand image, but they’re not committing enough. Zara, the fast fashion brand, trying to blend in with the high fashion aesthetic almost reminds me of the literary trope where new money folks try to blend in with old money—the difference may not be huge, but it is painfully obvious.

I suppose Zara is determined to keep stirring the pot, as they smacked THIS on the front page of their website this Valentine’s Day:

Here’s what I think works about this sequence. The concept is trendy—it follows the rising popularity of handmade projects, behind-the-scenes exclusives, and digital art/typography. Whether this is a clever animation or an actual screen recording of someone working on this logotype, it really does give the impression that you’re watching a trained designer. “They” work the software with obvious practice and know how the f*ck to design a logotype.

Here’s what I think doesn’t work. It’s a little strange to piecemeal together actual chunks of the logo to make this random shape that just… has nothing to do with the letters at all. I don’t know, but I don’t think this is how a designer would ever go about deriving this heart form from these letters unless they were under these ultra-specific constraints of Valentine’s Day, Zara, and a behind-the-scenes showcase. What’s the point of getting a look into a process that wouldn’t normally happen in the first place? The heart form itself comes out a bit odd and lumpy, and its relationship to the logo font is struggling. Perhaps it’s a good thing that it immediately gets smothered by fifty tacky laptop stickers! The stickers themselves are unimaginative in color, layout, and font—they don’t even achieve a healthy level of kitsch.

The whole thing is just as confused as the logo and website redesigns. Are they going for high fashion? Then this simple heart works! They could derive an entire system of abstract forms from it and make something beautiful, sleek, bold. But then why do we get to see every step of the process? If they’re going for high fashion, I think the inner workings should be inaccessible—mysterious, even—to us.

Okay, maybe they’re going for something accessible. After all, they are a fast fashion brand who can appeal to the masses. But then why this logotype? This color scheme? This medium? The result lacks character and warmth.

Of course I understand that Zara is trying to do both—it’s both elevated and accessible. But in stretching both ways, it falls short on both ends and plops itself into an awkward middle. I choose to believe that Zara can commit to the high fashion aesthetic and retain their original clientele. They just need the right designers, the faith to push themselves to the end of an idea, and… maybe some old money.